Letters
by Taleitha
Summary: A year since they left Number 4, Privet Drive, Petunia decides to write to Harry to let him know her side of the story.
1. A Letter from Petunia

Disclaimer: I would really love to own Harry Potter, but all the wishing in the world won't make that happen.

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Dear Harry,

I think that you deserve to know the truth about my sister, about me, about him. I've been thinking for this past year, and it's the longest I have gone without seeing you. I don't know if I will get the chance to actually see you and tell you face to face, so I shall write.

He was a scrawny, greasy-haired boy who lived in the dodgy side of town. He wore his dad's old clothes, and I swear he wore some of his mother's, too. That boy was completely mad, and he went on about this whole other world of sorts, with magic and wizards and witches and whatnot. Completely mad, I tell you. But Severus Snape was my sisters' best friend.

Years and years, we were inseparable, Lily and I. Then he leapt out from behind a bush, and a week later they were spending all their free time together. I tried to show her what Snape was really like, but she insisted that I didn't know the real him. How wrong she was. I admit I was jealous. Lily was the pretty one, the intelligent one, the popular one. Lily never had trouble making friends. All of her friends agreed with me, that he was a weirdo, a freak, a bad influence on her. She didn't listen. I began to shut her out of my life.

And then they went to that school for freaks. I wanted to go so badly, it was all that was important to me at that time. We were already growing apart, and I couldn't help but want to hug her and say that I was sorry, that I loved her. But I didn't, and I regret that now.

Every holiday they could, they'd come home. He'd always end up staying at our house in the spare bedroom. It was next to her room. I'd hear them whispering together, she sometimes giggled, but it drove me insane. I couldn't sleep, and I felt guilty. I began to hate myself, then hate her for making me hate myself, but hate myself for hating her. I was so confused.

Once, when they were out of the house, I snuck into Lily's room. Her diary was sticking out from under her pillow. I pulled it out and opened. She'd had it since Christmas, and that had only been a few days ago. There were only around three pages written on, so I read them. She was talking about me and him, mostly, as well as what she'd gotten for Christmas. I cried when I read what she'd written about me. She said that she loved me, that I was her sister, and that she'd do almost anything for me. She also said that I was cold and distant, and that I refused to have anything to do with her unless it was completely necessary.

And when I read what she'd written about Severus Snape, I didn't believe it. She wrote that he was a completely different person when it was just them together, and that he was kind, witty, intelligent, and that he'd tell her things, and she'd confide in him. I was jealous, I wanted to be like that with her, but I never could bring myself to apologize. It would have been like admitting that I was weak. I couldn't do that. And then, at the bottom of one of the pages, written so tiny that I'd almost missed it, there were a few words that I almost missed. _Fine – I admit it, Penelope, I _do_ like him! Not that I'm going to tell you or him that._

There was no doubt in my mind of who it was. I was disgusted, repulsed, revolted, completely and utterly appalled. I knew that she had a weird taste in friends, but to actually fancy _him_?! I'd forgotten to hide the diary, so she found out I'd read it. Things were never the same between us.

Then, when they were in their fifth year at that school for freaks, they parted way. She wouldn't talk, wouldn't say why, but she spent ages crying in her room. I wondered if that freak boy had gotten himself a girlfriend. I said to her one day, "I told you so. I told you it would go wrong in the end." She yelled at me, told me that I didn't know what I was talking about. It shocked me, it truly did. I'd never see her lose her temper before, not really. And then, a few days after that, she blew up at me again, and I began to really get angry at her. "I suppose fancying him like mad didn't help, did it?" My sister never forgave me for that remark. I don't blame her.

I was invited to her wedding, so I went, but only because my mother begged me to go. She was dying, so I agreed, to make her happy. That boy was older, colder, darker, but he showed up for a few minutes before the ceremony. I know, because I saw him run from the house when she was waiting inside. I wondered what he had been doing there. My sister wasn't getting married to him, after all. When she walked out, I saw she had been crying. She faltered just before she went to walk up the aisle, but set her jaw and continued anyway. She was whispering to herself –at least, it seemed that way. There was a shadow by the door. "I'm sorry," she whispered, then turned away.

When I heard she had died, I was devastated – not that I let it show, of course. My husband never knew just how close my sister and I had once been. I never planned on telling him, it was none of his business. You were left on our doorstep, and when you were a baby I vowed that I would look after you as if you were my own. I hoped that you would be normal, so then maybe you would be like my second son. Looking after you would be like repaying my sister, even though she was dead. But when strange things started happening, and you began to scare Dudley, you began to scare me. Vernon swore he'd stamp out 'all that funny business'. He couldn't, as you well know.

When you went to that school, just like Lily and her husband, James, had, and Lily's no-longer-best friend Severus Snape, who I believe you know, I was relieved that I wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of her every day. I'd see your eyes and they haunted my dreams; they were my sisters' eyes. When I had nightmares, I told everyone I was afraid of something happening to my family; that I had dreamt of terrible things happening, like some or all of us being murdered. In a way, my worst fears had come true.

Every Halloween, I'd sneak away and visit my sisters' grave. I'd tell her I was sorry, that I missed her, and that I loved her. I'd tell her what was going on in the world. I'd never stay more than an hour, before I left. I never let anyone know where I was going, just that I had to get some things from the store. I always made sure to bring back a few bags of sweets. No one ever suspected anything.

The one year I missed out on visiting her grave, it was when my family and I had to go into hiding. I shut myself in the library for an hour, crying. My husband thought I was just tired of being in the house, and Dudley didn't notice anything unusual. Then again, he spent most of his time in his room for days at a time. My boy, my son, Dudley, he didn't deserve to go through that. I would willingly have been there alone for three times the time we were there. I'd suffer that for my sister, thought I know it wouldn't do anything for her.

With Dudley, I knew, as he was growing up, that he bullied the other children, especially you, Harry. I turned away from it, trying to tell myself that he'd grow out of it and that it was just a stage and it wasn't as big a problem as everyone else said it was. I knew it was, and when he was seventeen, I was so glad that he tried to start again, to move on from his old ways. I was, and still am, so proud of him.

When those Aurors turned up on our doorstep months later to tell us that it was finally over, Dudley genuinely cried. He wouldn't like it if he knew I had told you this, of course. I don't remember him really crying too many times in his life, not really actually crying. They told us what you had done, what had happened. They told us everything they could. When Dudley cried, it was because he had learned that all these people had died. He will never admit it, but he is actually quite sensitive to things like that, even if he doesn't know the person who has passed on.

Harry, I want to know what happened. I need to know for myself that he won't come back, and terrorize the world again. You may not want to see me again, but I wish to see you, even if it is only one more time before we part ways forever. Dudley wishes to see you, and Vernon, however reluctant he may appear to be, does want to talk to you.

Love,

Petunia

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Well, there you go. I just thought I'd write this, as this idea hit me and clung on until I wrote this. I'm thinking about writing a quick note from Harry, so I may or may not do that? Let me know what you think, and hit the review button!


	2. A Note from Harry

Well, I decided to write a quick note from Harry, so here it is. Hope you like it :)

xx

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Dear Aunt Petunia,

To be honest, I was surprised to hear from you. My friends and I didn't expect you or really anyone to contact me. That is, other than people I know, as well as reporters and annoying fans.

I confess, I never really thought about your side of the story. As for Dudley crying? Ginny, my girlfriend, laughed at that. I don't know if you remember her, but years and years ago you may have seen her when you came to pick me up after school had ended. I'm not sure which year, but you've probably seen her a few times over the years. I think you'd like her, and before I write anything else, Ginny wants to say a few words.

_How could you?! I'm sorry. Thank you. Wow, Harry said some of this but I never knew! Oh, and hello. I'd love to meet you properly, if that's OK._

There you go. Ginny insisted, she's like that – ow! She also whacks people over the head quite hard sometimes. If you don't mind, I'd like you to meet my best friends Hermione and Ron. They can give you other sides to the story; though I can understand if you'd just like to meet me.

If you want the summed up version, then here goes:

Hermione, Ron and I left the day after I turned seventeen. We were at Ron's older brothers' wedding. Death Eaters (those are – or were – Voldemort's followers) attacked, so we fled. Hermione had done an undetectable extension charm on her handbag and packed everything we'd need, so we went around the country for months, trying to track down these things called Horcruxes that Voldemort had created to help keep him alive. We found the remaining ones and destroyed them, before the final battle at our school, Hogwarts. Many of my friends died helping us, and we will never forget them. I defeated Lord Voldemort, and the world is now at peace.

Severus Snape was murdered on the night of the battle. I found out some of his side of the story, and would you believe that he was in love with my mother for years? Maybe if he had let her know, they would have had a chance. But then I probably wouldn't have been born, and I'm rather happy with my existence.

Whenever you wish to see me please let me know. I have no intention of shutting you out of my life, nor do my friends. We've thought about it, and all of us would like to see you. Since Ginny insisted on getting personalized writing parchment, there isn't really much point in me writing my address. You can use the Muggle post; anything addressed to me generally makes it through.

Love,

Harry


	3. A Few Words from Dudley

I thought I'd just do this quick note, and then another story about their meeting that follows on after this. So here you go, this is quite probably the final chapter of this tiny little story. I changed the title to Letters, since it's not really just one from Petunia. Thanks to those of you that reviewed, I love you guys!

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Harry,

Mum asked me to write to you, as she's frantically tidying up the house, expecting you to operate or whatever it is straight into our living room. Actually, do that. I'd love to see the look on her face if you suddenly appeared.

Quote: "Dudley, can you quickly write to Harry for me? Ask him about coming over around 12 o'clock tomorrow, for lunch. I'll cook it all up. Tell him to bring his friends! Of course he can bring his friends! Oh, and introduce Natalia!" Mum was going on and on and on like this.

So now you're wondering who Natalia is. She's my girlfriend, and stop laughing. I have actually changed, and I'd like to say thank you for that. You're the one who caused the stuff to happen that changed me, and without all that, I wouldn't have Natalia.

See you tomorrow (hopefully),

Dudley


	4. Ginny's Note

Well, I've decided that this won't be the final chapter. The letters will mostly be short, though, as the Dursley's aren't exactly the sort of people to write long letters. So here you go, this one's from Ginny.

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Dudley, Petunia, Vernon,

Ginny here. Harry and I are still at Hogwarts helping finish off rebuilding it but we should be able to get some time off in three days or so. Would it be OK if Harry and I could come and visit you and your family for an afternoon?

Hedwig will wait for your letter before returning to us as the owlery (where all the owls are kept) is currently undergoing extremely extensive renovations. She can hunt for her own food, but she'd appreciate a drink, I'm sure.

The word you were looking for is apparate, by the way. Not operate. Just thought you ought to know.

I'll meet you in a few days, perhaps?

Ginny Weasley


End file.
